Too Soon to Die
by Sailor Crystal
Summary: One-Shot Rating for presumed character death. The journey to find Paradise is put on a stand still. Kiba is presumed dead and a nameless female quarter wolf tells of the events of that day from her own eyes.


This is based on a dream I had. The character talking will be nameless, as they have no real part in the story, though they interact in the story with the others.

Disclaimer: Wolf's Rain doesn't belong to me...I don't know who it belongs to really, but it's defiantly not me.

Too Soon To Die

Kiba was dead. At least that's what we thought. He had left the others and had gone out on his own for a while, presumably to hunt and had been gone two days without a word. It had been too long so we go out to search for him. Cheza had been with him, and we were worried about her as well. I'm the first to find them. I walk up next to Cheza and gently kneel next to her, gently moving her so she's looking at me. I suddenly freeze as her large red eyes look up at me. She's shaking and pale, as if terrified of something and I question her on this, trying to be as gentle as possible. She points off to the right and I slowly look over to where she's pointing. A gasp falls from my lips as I go just as pale as Cheza. Kiba is lying there, but his body is transparent, as if a ghost or a spirit.

"Cheza...What happened?" I ask quietly of the Flower Maiden.

The small girl shakes more, looking away and closing her eyes as if in pain. I understood her reaction. She had been the only one around Kiba for the past two days and by all accounts he looked like he had died and his spirit was restless, not allowing him to pass on. Cheza wasn't exactly one to know or understand death. Or if she did, she never expected it to happen to one of her beloved wolves. I slowly get up from beside Cheza and walk over to Kiba, keeping quiet incase he was sleeping in this spirit body of his. My caution proves to be unfounded as Kiba opens his gray eyes and looks at me.

"Kiba...What happened? The others are worried about you." I say quietly, not wanting to disturb him more.

The quiet lone wolf doesn't answer. Not that I expected him to in the first place. I look over the transparent body and frown lightly. I see no wounds, nor does he seem to have starved to death. It doesn't seem he was dead at all, but if that were true, why was Cheza so distraught? I look back at the Flower Maiden to see she's crying, clearly worried for Kiba who has closed his eyes again. I frown again, unsure of what to do. The others would still be looking, worried over their friend and leader, but here he was. Dead or alive, we couldn't say yet. I slowly look to Kiba again whose once emotionless face has taken on a sudden peaceful look as he begins to fade. Judging by the looks of it, his spirit has finally gotten the peace it needed and was dissipating.

"Kiba!" I call loudly to get his attention.

It doesn't work as he fades almost completely. Just before he vanishes fully from site, a heartbroken howl echoes over the land. I look up in surprise, as does Cheza. Standing on a cliff, maybe a hundred feet from us, was Hige, the young wolf who helped Kiba escape the scientists. The cliff was pointed away from us, so we could see it's profile and Hige was standing at the edge, howling in his wolf form to try and find Kiba. I recognized both the wolf and the voice behind it, even if the fading sun behind him gave him a glare so I had to look away. The howl comes again, louder and more heartbroken and I look down as a loud gasp reaches my ears. Kiba's gray eyes are open wide in shock as if he can't believe Hige is howling for him. He vanishes without another thought and I scream out his name.

"KIBA!"

Twice more I do this, Cheza watching in a sort of horrified state of shock. Suddenly, another howl answers Hige's. I look up to see a white wolf standing on a ledge, just twenty feet from us. Cheza gasps in happiness to see the wolf body is solid, not transparent as it has been. I get up from where I've been kneeling and run off, finding the way up to Kiba. A small bridge over a small stream waits for me at the top, but I cross it easily and stop in front of Kiba as he slowly turns towards me, turning back to human in front of my eyes. I'm only quarter wolf, even less than the other female wolf Blues, and though I had been with them when they escaped the dome city, thanks to Tsume and Toboe finding me, I had not yet gotten used to them changing back and forth so freely in front of me. The lone wolf smiles gently to see me as I watch him, trying to make sure it's really him.

"I'm here to stay...It's too soon to die. I still have to find Paradise." He says in that confident tone.

"What happened to you!" I demand out of nowhere, wanting to get told the story before the others show up.

"I don't know."

"Kiba!"

A faint smile actually goes across the once emotionless face and I look shocked.

"I'm here and I'm fine."

"You would never admit otherwise..." I growl quietly.

A few seconds pass before I suddenly launch myself at him, hugging him tightly around his furry neck. Back in his wolf form again, I just hug him tightly, burying my face into the velvet-like fur.

"Don't ever do that again..." I whisper just so he can hear me and he nuzzles me a little.

I release him, than move away as the others finally find us. Toboe, the youngest of us, is the first to tackle Kiba in an ecstatic hug. I watch with amusement as the brown wolf tackles the white wolf in joy and playfulness. Kiba, for once, returns the child's plays before Toboe finally backs off. He sits back, wagging his tail contently as he waits for Kiba to take lead so we can continue the journey. Hige is the next to come up to Kiba. I'm the second youngest in the group, putting Hige older than me and Toboe but there are times when he acts as young as us. Kiba watches Hige with gold eyes that suddenly widen in shock as Hige pounces him. Both turn back to human and I laugh in amusement as Hige hugs Kiba tightly, thankful he's back. Hige than steps back and sits down, watching Tsume and Kiba. The gray wolf regards Kiba coolly, with no look of happiness or joy that myself, Toboe, and Hige just expressed. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed Tsume and Kiba had this sort of rivalry between them. Maybe it started back in the city, I don't know, I never bothered to ask. Kiba lies on his stomach on the ledge, watching Tsume. His body language suggests submission, as if he knows Tsume is stronger than him; though I think they'd be even should they ever fight. Than, Tsume surprises us all. He lies on his stomach, than rolls to his back, exposing neck and stomach to the younger wolf. It was the ultimate submission, showing Tsume's acceptance to Kiba leading them.

"Why is he doing that?" Toboe asks.

"He wants Kiba to lead us." Hige answers.

Kiba makes a faint growl and I smile a little bit as Tsume turns and stands up. The last person to come up is Cheza. Kiba turns to her as she walks up to him, her red eyes holding a disbelieving look. Kiba growls a little, his ears laying flat against his head as he walks over to Cheza, gently nuzzling her hand. Cheza falls to her knees and hugs him tightly around the neck, just as I did and Kiba lowers his head so his muzzle rests against her back. They stay like that for a few minutes before Cheza lets him go and stands up, smiling happily once again.

"Are the reunions done?" Tsume's gruff voice asks.

Kiba looks at every one of us and nods as we all smile back.

"Yes. Let's continue on to find Paradise."

We continue are journey. Kiba is in the lead and Tsume is behind him. The three youngest, along with Cheza, are playing on and off in the back, making sure to keep up but unable to resist the chance to have fun, what with Kiba not actually being dead. We never did find out from either him or Cheza what had happened. But as time went on, we find out it doesn't matter. Not with entering another city to find the kidnapped Cheza and running into problems with Hige, Blues and her old master.


End file.
